And now… a few more reviews! (The stack on the nightstand is threatening to topple over, my friends.)

* Well, this one is pretty cool. “La Madre Goose,” by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (Penguin Random House/Penguin Young Readers, 2016, ages 5-8, unpaged, $16.99) Beautiful rendition of the classic stories, and in Spanish. Well, Spanglish, make that :) America has become a bilingual country, with our two languages being snark and slang. Kidding. English and Spanish, duh. And the more practice we all get in both languages, the better.

“This little cerdo went to market,
this little cerdo stayed home.
This little cerdo had roasted carne,
this little cerdo had none.
This little cerdo cried oink, oink, oink,
all the way home.”

OK, I don’t know why it never bothered me in English, but it does bother me in Spanish that the little piggy had roast beef, and shouldn’t it be “cerdito,” not cerdo? But let’s not quibble. I love that it’s bilingual, I love that people are making an effort at dual-immersion, and the art? Colorful and light, engaging and with a lot of movement and charm. (Especially for “Three Little Gatitos.” Sweetness.)

July 6th — as good a day as any for a much-overdue holiday round-up, right? Sure thing. Especially since I don’t have any Fourth of July books. So how about…

* Valentine’s! “How to Mend a Heart,” written and illustrated by Sara Gillingham (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2015, $16.99, ages 3-7, 40 pages). This one is a companion book to Gillingham’s “How to Grow a Friend.” I am a sucker for anything that reminds me of Colorforms, and the artist’s mixed media does that for me. (Do you know Colorforms? Plastic pieces of happiness.) This is a swell little book about how to deal with life, if you’re getting over heartache, having a big problem or small, what have you. Trim the loose threads, don’t give up! Life lessons. The art is super cute. (Paper/tape/glue? Collage? I don’t know what all Gillingham did to put this treasure together, but it works.) She also co-created the “In My…” series for Chronicle Books and the Empowerment series of board books for Abrams Appleseed, if you’d like to see more of her projects.

* Thanksgiving! “Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story,” written by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jill McElmurry. (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015, $17.99, grades preschool-3, unpaged.) The illustrations are pretty — McElmurry used gouache on watercolor paper. It has a “Little House in the Big Woods” feel to it.

Now, a quote of the day, for old times’ sake?

“I failed typing. I failed draping. I was fired from Anne Klein, rehired and fired again when I asked to design my own collection. Everything in life can’t be a plus. The minuses are equally important.” — Donna Karan, designer, visionary, failed typist

And with that, I bid you adieu.

— wm

Posted by WackyMommy in Art, Books, Quotes, Reviews |
Comments Off on On My Nightstand, Wednesday Edition… More for the Kiddos: “La Madre Goose,” “How to Mend a Heart” & “Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story”